Written in Light
by Lorespinner
Summary: War, famine, pestilence, and death have taken the toll on the clans, and only a pawful of weak cats remain when a pair of rogues stumble upon them. Moons after Bramblestar and the three, these clans have suffered greatly, and their only hope of survival is to allow themselves to rely on others, but it's a lot harder than it seems when everything seems to be working against them.
1. Prologue: The Beginning of the Beginning

In the forest, all was still. No breeze blew that day, and only the faintest of birdsong flowed through the canopy of sun-dappled leaves. Near the inner edge of the forest, the trees gave way to a pebbled shore, where a clear lake lapped at the stones and drew them close. Around the lake were four different terrains, including the forest itself.

Suddenly, a rush of activity shook the outer edge of the forest. A rabbit's paws thudded heavily against the ground as it raced into the cover from the barren hills outside of the woods, its paws digging into the dirt and pushing back to go as fast as it could. Its eyes were wild with terror, and its erratic movement caused the undergrowth to tremor as it passed by. Following shortly after the rabbit came a second set of paws, these attached to a slender feline body, claws grasping the earth as each touched the ground for only a moment. The cat's heartbeat pounded in their ears, that and their breath the only thing they could hear as they gave chase.

They followed after the rabbit for many fox-lengths into the territory, getting closer by minute increments with each drop and rise of their paws. After many moments of chasing the rabbit and feeling their muscles scream in protest, their pelt lashed by the surrounding branches and causing birds to squawk and fly away in their wake, they were finally close enough. They leapt onto their prey, quickly slicing open its neck with their claws. The rabbit gave a dying quiver, its body thrashing weakly under the cat, until it finally lay still. The cat let out a satisfied purr, sitting back to clean their claws of dirt and blood.

"Moon!"

Blinking their green eyes, the white cat turned to look at the other that had called their name. The black cat trotting towards them was tense, his amber eyes narrowed and his broad shoulders hunched protectively. His head was low, ears flattened against it as his eyes darted this way and that. "What in Mother's name are you doing thinking, chasing prey onto this territory?! You know the stories about this place! We'll be eaten alive, Moon!"

Moon grinned, rolling their eyes at the way the older cat was practically shivering in his fur. "Those are just kits' tales, Night, and you and I both know it. You know that no one has seen any groups of cats around here for moons! They're just saying that because they either want to keep all of the prey here to themselves or they're scared for no reason." They picked up the rabbit and padded to Night's side to nudge his shoulder teasingly, pairing it with a widened grin around their prey.

"Whatever," Night sighed after a moment, his ears flattening further to his head. His eyes once again darted around the dimly-lit forest, knowing that, according to what they'd been told when they were younger, they shouldn't be here. "I think that those wild cats are real. My mother wouldn't lie to me, you know - what is it?" He stopped in the middle of his sentence, lowering his voice as Moon flicked their stub of a tail in warning, their ears pricking to swivel in all directions. They moved slowly to put their rabbit down, then lifted their head back up with their jaws parted wide, drinking in the scents around them. "What?" Night asked again, shifting anxiously on his paws.

"Do you smell that?" Moon finally murmured in place of a proper reply, appearing for the first time since entering the forest as though they were perturbed as well.

Night began to knead his claws into the ground, frowning deeply. He opened his mouth as well, lifting it to the nonexistent breeze, but shook his head after a moment. "Moon, I don't-"

"Shhh!" the white cat hissed, cutting Night off. "Bring the rabbit and follow me."

The black tom seemed to be irritated at being bossed around, but didn't argue, picking up the rabbit and trailing after Moon, uncertainty in every pawstep as he realized they were going deeper into the forest. They kept their jaws slightly parted as they continued forward, weaving their way through and around brambles, and Night couldn't help but wonder if they'd perhaps come into the forest before at the way they seemed to know just where to rest their paws. So lost was he in anxious thought that he almost didn't notice when Moon stopped. "Here," they murmured, their eyes fixed on a place ahead.

Night's heart seemed to leap into his throat, beating wildly, while his stomach seemed to be as heavy and cold as stone. Directly ahead of them there was a slope, brambles discreetly flattened by moons and moons of pawsteps. From any other angle, Night wouldn't have noticed it, would've passed right by the tunnel made in the brush. Somehow, though, Moon had found it, and the stone of Night's belly seemed to grow heavier as he scented many cats. There seemed to be many stale scents, while only a few were fresher, and an odd, clear scent seemed to mingle with them, like breeze and open sky.

Putting the rabbit down, Night said tentatively, "Maybe we should go back."

Moon didn't seem to hear him. They began to walk right down the slope, purpose in their stride. Night hesitated a long moment before picking up the rabbit once again, trotting after them just as their flanks disappeared in the bramble tunnel.

"We're being watched," Moon whispered as soon as Night joined them on the other side of the tunnel. Night's pelt prickled, and he turned his gaze to the hollow that they'd found themselves in. Here the scent of other cats was even stronger than it was on the path. "We're not here to hurt anyone!" Night nearly jumped out of his fur as Moon raised their voice to speak to whoever was apparently watching them. "I just scented something - something told me to follow it - but I promise you that we won't hurt you!"

There was a long silence, and Night decided to forget the rabbit, setting it aside. His pelt was crawling, and he wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. "Moon, I really don't think we should-" He stopped as cats began to appear from bushes and cracks in the rock, all of them looking gaunt and sickly, thin fur stretching over their flanks.

"Who are you?" asked one of the cats suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at them. She was among the thinnest, Night noted, every rib seeming to stick out starkly against her pelt, which would've been pretty were she healthy, but that was something that Night could tell that these cats were not. Even so, many of them had their claws drawn, ready to disregard their frail states in order to defend their home if that was what it came to.

Moon's answer came and was as unexpected to Night as it was to the other cats if their expressions were anything to go by. "My name is Moon, and this is my friend, Night. Are you all okay? Is there anything we can do to help?"

"I never agreed to help any wild cats, Moon," Night whispered to them in alarm, but they still didn't seem to be listening to him. At the same time, many protests arose from the group of cats.

"How can we trust outsiders?"

"Do you think us weak?"

"You shouldn't even be within our borders!"

A sudden and instantaneous hush fell over the group as they parted, allowing a dappled brown tortoiseshell cat to come forward. She looked over Moon and Night, her gaze silently critical. Night felt as though she was going to reach out at any moment to claw the furs off of his pelt. Finally she turned to the rest of her group. "We need more fit warriors while you all recover. We must exercise some amount of caution towards how much you all exert yourselves in your current conditions. They can at least help us for a little while." She then turned back to Moon and Night, eyeing them carefully. "You can stay. If you don't mind, that rabbit would make a fine meal for a few of these cats."

"Who are you all?" Moon called out as she began to walk back towards the crevice from which she'd appeared.

Night found himself listening with just as much anticipation as Moon as they leaned towards the she-cat. She stopped with her back turned to them, then slowly turned back to the two, pausing before speaking again. "Who are we?" She once again paused, staring at the two of them, and Night thought she wouldn't answer, but she opened her jaws once more before returning to her den. "We are all that remains of the once-great clans of this forest."

 _Since A Feather's Tale isn't getting much feedback, I've lost a bit of motivation for it, so progress on the next chapter is going slowly. I had another idea for a story, though, so I'm hopefully going to be working on this in the meantime. Warriors doesn't belong to me, as always, but these characters do, and I have and interesting story planned for you all._


	2. Chapter 1: Some Tales Untold

"That's the training hollow," Marshface said as they passed by the clearing, flicking his tail towards it. "It's where apprentices learn to hunt and defend their territory. At least, that's where they learn on this part of the lake." There was something reserved about the way Marshface spoke, Moon noted, and in fact in the way the rest of the cats here spoke, that gave off a sense of tiredness and gloom.

Nevertheless, they listened raptly to Marshface's words, holding on to every syllable. They'd been curious about the forest that they and Night had traveled to the outside of for moons, and now here they were getting the grand tour. Night would've been right alongside them, but he was too scared to be with Marshface, who was one of the largest and most fit cats left in the group they'd stumbled upon. They would've given anything to see Night's face after they left, though, when he finally realized that he'd volunteered to stay in the camp along with all of the rest of the cats. Sometimes he let his fear think for him instead of listening to reason, and Moon knew better than anyone that he lost a lot of opportunities because of it.

"Magpie," Marshface said suddenly, drawing Moon's attention despite whispering his words. The white cat trained their eyes on him, pricking their ears and stepping back carefully to give him space. He crouched down, his blue gaze fixed on the bird that pecked at the ground a couple of fox-lengths away, searching for food of its own. In the stillness that followed the cats' pause, Moon could hear the magpie's heartbeat as its scent filled their mouth. Marshface began to stalk the unsuspecting piece of prey, and Moon took note that rather than using the undergrowth to give him cover, he was sticking to shadows, keeping his brown pelt hidden there. He was also awkwardly careful not to step on any twigs or fallen leaves, like he wasn't used to having to worry about them. Moon quickly noticed that he was going to need help if he was going to catch this magpie, and they slunk quickly in a wide circle to the other bird. By the time they were opposite him, he had barely seemed to move.

Almost as soon as Moon had started moving forward, Marshface seemed to lose his patience, and he quickly began to race forward to close the distance between himself and the bird. Moon jumped up as soon as they saw him move, running in from the other direction. The bird noticed Marshface first, letting out an alarmed call and taking off in the opposite direction. Moon was ready, jumping up into the air with claws outstretched and plucking it out of the sky by its neck.

As they landed with the feathered prey under their paws, Marshface was getting up from his own unsuccessful leap at the bird. "Are you okay?" Moon asked in concern, their ears flattening back.

"I'm fine!" Marshface snapped, shaking his head. "I'm just not used to... this." He swept his tail in a wide arc, indicating the entire forest. "How are you so used to it, anyway? Didn't you live in the barren area outside of ThunderClan's borders?"

"ThunderClan..." Moon tasted the word on their tongue, barely acknowledging Marshface's question as they finally learned the official name of the group that they'd come to. They noticed that Marshface was looking at them strangely after a moment of being buried in their own thoughts, and they added, "Night and I recently moved there, though we were here with our group when we were younger. We move around a lot, and we used to be a part of a larger group, but we branched out on our own. Why aren't _you_ used to hunting in a place like this?" They meant no harm and were only genuinely curious, but their thoughtless words caused Marshface's gaze to harden.

Marshface stiffened at Moon's question, the fur on his shoulders beginning to bristle. "That's none of your business," he growled, snatching up the magpie to move it beneath a bush and scrape dirt over it. Moon watched him thoughtfully as he did so, taking in the way he was holding himself, but they didn't say a word to respond to him. "This way," he muttered when he was done hiding the piece of prey, his tail still lashing in irritation as he turned to keep walking farther away from the camp.

Moon followed, and the space between them was filled with a thick silence that settled on their pelts like raindrops. They continued along the path that Marshface was taking, his steps sometimes faltering, as though he was unfamiliar with the terrain, and once again the inkling of a thought crossed Moon's mind, but this time they said nothing. Soft light came through the branches of the trees above, lighting their pelts, and Moon's gaze swept over the dapples on the forest floor as they passed. As the lighting began to change color, gaining an orange-ish hue as the clouds that Moon could see beyond the trees were stained violet and pink, the trees began to thin out, leading onto a strip of land that was covered completely in grass.

The white cat thought it might be a simple gap that led from one part of the forest to the next, but Marshface stopped at the edge of the trees, dipping his head to scent at the base of one. They caught on then, when they noticed scent markers lining the area where the trees stopped and the grassy area began. From across the strip of barren landscape, they caught the scent of pines and firs, and noticed the shadows that flitted between the trees that stood so close together. The barest hint of pines clung to Marshface's pelt, too.

"Not all of us came from within these borders," Marshface mumbled after renewing a scent marker, sighing as he padded forward to stand beside Moon. They glanced at him and were surprised by the emotion they caught deep in his gaze, which was directed towards the pine forest. He looked wistful, longing. It only lasted for a moment before he shook his head, turning around to head back towards the camp. "Come on. It's getting late, we can finish the tour tomorrow."

Obediently, Moon padded after Marshface, once again lost in thought. As they trudged back to camp beneath the darkening sky, the silence between them was no longer so oppressive, as thought Marshface had eased the tension with his words. He even tried to let Moon carry their catch back to camp, but they had insisted that he take it, knowing that it would come across as a friendly gesture. As they entered the camp with the stars glittering on a background of night above their heads, Moon couldn't help but think that someday, perhaps soon, they could learn what had happened here, and who these cats who tried to be so intimidating truly were.

* * *

They found an empty nest beside Night's in a corner of the stone hollow away from everyone else, who were sleeping cozily in the well-made dens. Moon suspected that he had been the one to place them there, but they probably would've done the same. No matter how much they wanted to learn about these cats, they'd never want to intrude by taking a spot beside them in their dens. They settled down beside Night after moving their nest a bit closer, just enough to be able to rest their head on his shoulder. As they did so, they felt some of the tension there melting away beneath their chin. A smile crossed their muzzle before they drifted into the land of dreams, visions of shadows among pine trees dancing under their eyelids.

The next day, the sun's light as it painted the morning in yellows woke Night first, and in turn he woke Moon. "Good morning, Moon," he said with a smile as they lifted their head, blinking sleep from their eyes.

Moon grinned sleepily and rolled their eyes as they realized how Night had woken them, the same way he had since they were kits. They stood from the nest that they had slept in, stretching to relieve the tension in their shoulders, and as they did so their belly rumbled, reminding them that the thought of eating had left their mind after the tour last night. The magpie was probably gone by now, and even if it wasn't, they would rather leave it for the cats who were starving. "Do you want to go hunting?" they asked Night instead, thinking that they could find something out in the forest as they reached up with one paw to clean their face.

"You two!" Night jumped as another voice barked over his own as he started to reply, and both cats turned to look at the source of the voice. A very stern-looking tom was padding towards them, his gaze hard and accusing. "You can't just go making your own patrols! Just because you're outsiders doesn't mean you're exempt from our code while you're in our camp!"

"Nettleblaze, won't you stop?" A golden tabby-patched she-cat trailed after the ginger and white tom, smiling like she'd said something amusing. She nudged his shoulder gently, getting him to turn his eyes from the two bristled cats before him to look at her for a moment. His gaze softened as their eyes met, but it was only for a moment, and when he looked away again he huffed out a breath, seeming subdued.

"I'm sorry about him," the golden she-cat said apologetically, sweeping her tail towards the tom. "My brother can be a bit aggressive. He's always been that way, even before everything here happened. I'm Sunnystream, and this is Nettleblaze. We're former RiverClan warriors, but we live here now of course, with everyone else."

"RiverClan?" Moon quickly jumped on the term once Sunnystream had finished speaking. "Marshface said something about ThunderClan - is there more than one of those? What is it really like here?" Their voice was carefully measured, and from the corner of their eye they saw Night give them a glance that seemed baffled. Of course he had no idea what they were talking about.

Sunnystream hesitated for a moment before a polite smile appeared on her face. "Seedspots told us to finish your tour around the territory." Moon felt a flicker of irritation at the way she changed the subject, but perhaps she wasn't allowed to talk about it or it was too hard for her to speak of. "We can hunt on the way," she added, glancing at Nettleblaze with a sly expression. The tom's stomach rumbled as if on cue, and he bristled, looking almost offended, but before he could respond Sunnystream was trotting away, tail held high.

"Sisters." It was all Nettleblaze said, snorting as he padded after her.

Moon chuckled softly as they caught the fondness with which he'd looked after her, gently nudging Night's shoulder with a fondness of their own. "C'mon, you can't skip out today," they purred, bouncing away on light paws. Night growled playfully in response, bounding after the slight cat with a small smile on his face.

"This is the camp, of course!" Sunnystream chirped as the two rogues caught up, gesturing towards the entrance to the stone hollow. She began moving again right away, but continued to talk, saying, "We're going to head towards the moors today, and we can take you to see the lake if you want!" She exchanged a glance with Nettleblaze as 'the lake' rolled out of her mouth, and for a moment they shared a similar look of sadness. Moon, ever observant, caught this look, but they held their tongue.

They continued on for a ways, Sunnystream listing off different landmarks as they passed by them, Nettleblaze making snide remarks whenever he could get a word in edgewise. They stopped for a while to catch prey and eat, and then they were off again, Sunnystream once again bouncing into the lead. They finally began to slow as they reached a stream, and the golden and white she-cat paused, sniffing around the edge of the stream. She seemed to catch herself, raising her head and exchanging another look with Nettleblaze. "This is technically where the moors begin for us," she explained in her bright and chirpy tone, as though nothing had happened, when she turned back to Night and Moon. "The other territory on the other side of the stream has gone to rogues, if you'll excuse the expression." She gave a quick nod and started moving downstream, saying, "Let's keep going! The lake is this way."

"She's really enthusiastic," Night noted as she and her brother pulled ahead by about a fox-length. "Her brother's intimidating, though." He shivered as his eyes came to rest on Nettleblaze.

"They both seem nice," Moon mused, thinking of how similarly they were acting to how Marshface had the day before.

"Whatever you say," Night snorted, tail-tip flicking. "I still think they can probably eat us in one bite." He paused, then added, "Well, I'm exaggerating. But they're still dangerous."

"So are we!" Moon pointed out, extending their claws to demonstrate. "All cats have fangs and claws for a reason, Night. I get the feeling that we won't have to use them here, though, at least not with these cats." They felt slightly discouraged by the fact that Night was still so distrusting of these cats, but perhaps he truly couldn't see that they didn't want to fight.

"We can hear you, you know!" Nettleblaze called from in front of them, causing even Moon to jump. "You're not very quiet."

"We're almost at the lake," Sunnystream added with a laugh. "I promise not to push either of you in!"

"I don't," Nettleblaze interjected, causing Sunnystream and Moon both to laugh, while Night's eyes widened with fear. "I'm just kidding," Nettleblaze said gruffly to Night, rolling his eyes as he spotted the look on his face.

"Here we are!" Sunnystream suddenly squealed with excitement, rushing forward to splash into the waves that lapped gently at the pebbles on the shore, exposed beyond the trees as they made way for the lake. She looked like a kit out in the water, and her brother, though more composed, showed the first sign of delight that Moon had noticed from him as he waded out into the water, stopping when it reached his belly and tilting his head up to the sky with closed eyes. Moon and Night stood back by the trees for a few moments until Sunnystream finally seemed to notice that they weren't in the water as well. She stopped, looking up at them, then waded back towards shore. She was still standing in the water when she beckoned them towards her with her tail.

Night came forward cautiously, while Moon walked forward, sitting down in front of the she-cat, who had suddenly gained a serious demeanor. Once Night had joined Moon, Sunnystream began to speak, and right away her voice sounded strained. "Moon, I know that you want to know more about us." Moon leaned forward at her words, their eyes wide and hopeful. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you what you want to know." Their hopes immediately came crashing down, crushed as soon as they'd risen, and they sat back, disappointed. Nettleblaze seemed to realize that something was going on, and he came to stand behind his sister, glancing between the two rogues. "At least, I can't tell you right now. Right now, it's too soon." A wry smile twisted Sunnystream's face. "If you really want to know - if you stay here long enough - then I'm sure someone will eventually tell you what happened, but right now, we can't. We just can't. It's too hard for us, even if some cats would claw your fur off for asking instead of admitting it." She moved closer to her brother, leaning on his shoulder and closing her eyes. "So please, both of you - respect that. Give us time, and you might know what you want to know, but we're not here to tell you our story. We're here to survive, and you're here to help us if you were telling the truth."

Moon was mildly disappointed, but they knew Sunnystream was right. It wasn't truly their place to ask about any of this. Their eyes followed Sunnystream and Nettleblaze as they walked out of the lake, shaking their fur out when they were a good length away from Night and Moon. Together, the four made it back to camp with Sunnystream's words heavy in Moon's mind. It made them begin to wonder as they thought about it. After all, they liked to think themself a good cat, but how could they say that when they'd pried into business that they had no right to pry into? Were they really there to help after all?

They arrived back at camp with a heavy heart and a pigeon in their jaws, caught on the way back. The whole touring patrol had managed to catch a piece of prey each, and the others swarmed on them when they returned. Moon opted to leave the prey to those who were hungry, going back to lay in their nest to think. Night silently joined them a moment later, laying his tail over their back. They were glad for his presence as they turned over their questions in their head, along with how their stomach could be so hollow when they didn't feel like they'd ever eat again.

 _This chapter is kind of filler, but it does have important details if you know where to look. In the next chapter, some real plot stuff begins. I wanted to introduce a few more characters before that, though. If you want to ask the current characters questions, however, I've made a blog for you to ask ask-writteninlight on tumblr! I've only just made it, but I hope to soon update it with current character refs and an allegiances page. And please don't be afraid to leave a review; feedback is wonderful!_


	3. Chapter 2: An Unfortunate Event

A few days after first joining the group of cats that they had come to know as ThunderClan, Moon was sitting by themselves in a corner of the camp, tearing bits of meat from a scrawny squirrel. Night had been chosen to go out on a patrol with two of the other cats from ThunderClan, Lynxstripe and Reedflight. Moon's mind flashed back to the worried look that Night had given them before being led out of camp. It was the first time since they arrived that the two had really been apart besides the first tour day. Just as quickly as the thoughts had come, they pushed them away, refusing to think about how annoyed they were or how awful they felt for being annoyed. They didn't need Night to look after them. They weren't a kit any more, and Night was a good brother, but he didn't need to hover.

Suddenly, something else caught Moon's attention, dragging it away from their angered thoughts. In a nearby den, a crevice carved from the face of the stone that lined the hollow, two cats seemed to be having some sort of argument. Moon tried to resist the urge to eavesdrop at first, knowing that it would be rude and going against what they'd been trying to do since their talk with Sunnystream, which was not to get into anything that wasn't their business. However, it only took a few heartbeats and a subtle pricking of their ears for them to be sucked into the conversation of the two cats inside the den. One voice she recognized only vaguely, but the other she knew by now to be the healer and unofficial leader of ThunderClan, Seedspots.

Moon took another bite from the squirrel, tucking their tail closer to their side to try to look less conspicuous as they tuned in to the argument. "... can't believe you let them in, Seedspots! The white one, well, they've been mopey since the day after they got here - and don't even get me started on the other one! That tom jumps at his own shadow, and today was the first time he even agreed to go on a patrol without them, and he argued with you for at least a moon before he said okay. And he only did after the white one convinced him!" A flicker of annoyance crossed Moon's mind. Mopey? Not to mention the way they spoke about their brother. Moon was irritated about Night, sure, but no one else had any reason to be upset with him.

"It didn't take a moon, Pipitfeather," Seedspots replied drily. Pipitfeather - the owner of the name briefly flashed through Moon's mind. A light brown tabby, and one of the most stand-offish cats that Moon had noticed here. It made sense that they'd be the one to bring them up to Seedspots. "In any case, they're stronger and healthier than most cats here, and surely you've noticed the prey pile growing. It's more full than it has been in a while, and that means that everyone else has a chance to get their strength back. Dippersong and Marshface were running themselves ragged trying to do so much work on their own, and it's doing them well to have more help, too. Of course, you of all cats shouldn't be complaining - you're skinny as a stick, Pipitfeather!"

"Why do you think you know everything?" Moon flinched at the sudden loud snarl from inside the small cave. "You haven't even appointed the next leader! You act like you know how to be one! Do you think that everyone can't see what you're trying to do? You just want everyone to follow every little order you give so you can feel big and tough! And don't even start on me about my health! I'm perfectly fit, you just seem to constantly forget that Stonewhisker and I are WindClan cats, and I'm so very sorry that we're not as fat as your kittypet clan used to be!"

"It's not just being slim when I can count every one of your bones! Instead of pointing your accusations at me, perhaps you should direct them in a more inward manner!" Seedspots paused, the air boiling with tension. After her small silence, she continued in a softer voice, but it still had a firm edge to it. "Go eat, Pipitfeather, and take time to cool off. You and all of our clanmates know that I'm only trying to make sure that everyone is safe, and that I haven't been able to visit the Moonpool to find out who our next leader is. I'm not going to appoint just anyone."

"Trying to make sure we're safe?" Pipitfeather spat. "Trying to make sure everyone blindly follows you is more like it!" Instead of a reply there were heavy pawsteps, and Moon quickly made themselves look busy with their squirrel as the cat emerged from the medicine den. It didn't seem to make much of a difference, their eyes seeming to lock on Moon as soon as they left the den. The warrior stopped in front of them, and they glanced up at the other cat as they opened their mouth to speak. "Why are you si-"

At that moment a loud rustling came from the entrance of the camp, thunderous in the quiet of the hollow. "Seedspots!" a white and brown tabby she-cat gasped out as she burst through the gorse tunnel. A lump rose in Moon's throat as they realized that it was Reedflight, one of the other cats that were on Night's patrol.

Seedspots hurried out of her den to meet Reedflight, but she hadn't even reached the other she-cat before she began to speak again, her words rushed. "Another patrol - rogues from WindClan territory - attacking now - Lynxstripe and Night are fighting -" She seemed to be barely able to get her panicked words out as she gasped for air, her thin flanks heaving. She had clearly run the whole way, and at a fairly quick pace.

A bolt of fear struck Moon's heart as they realized that it was two cats against enough for Reedflight to have to come back for reinforcements. All of their anger at Night melted away, their ears ringing with Reedflight's words. _Night is in trouble_ , they heard instead of the orders Seedspots began to give out. They pushed past Reedflight before anyone could stop them, flying out of the tunnel as they headed for the border to the moors. _I have to help him. Don't die on me, Night!_

It seemed to take forever to get their as their paws hit dirt over and over. They crashed through the undergrowth, low-hanging branches whipping against their face, thorns tearing at their fur. Their muscles screamed at them to slow down, to take it easy, and some part of them knew that they wouldn't be any help if they arrived exhausted, but they couldn't stop now. They had to reach their brother. Distantly they were aware of two other lean shapes coming to race alongside them in the last stretch of the run, with the noise of maybe one or two others behind them.

Then they were bursting into a clearing that was filled with snarls and jibes, the only other sound coming from the gentle babbling of the nearby stream. The strangers that crowded the clearing stopped their jeers as Moon appeared, along with the other cats that Seedspots had sent. Moon knew that adrenaline was the only thing holding them up as they faced the new cats, feeling their limbs tremble slightly with the effort it took to stand.

 _Where is Night?!_ they thought, their heart pounding frantically. They couldn't see him anywhere! As they scanned the clearing for their brother's black pelt, their eyes landed instead on another black tom, who was staring at the arrivals with a hostile look in his mismatched eyes - one blue, one orange.

"Get off of our territory!" Suddenly one of the other cats that had been on Moon's heels spoke. They glanced to the side, seeing it was Stonewhisker, who was usually a fairly friendly she-cat. The look in her eyes was fierce now, however. "You chased the rest of us out, it's not happening here, too! We'll fight if we have to, Flint!"

Flint, who Moon had gathered was the black tom, smiled menacingly. "Such pretty words," he cooed. "But you're nothing but skin and bones! Could you back them up?" His grin grew a little wider, and then he flicked his tail-tip. The other cats with him surged forward to attack the newcomers.

It was almost a two-to-one battle, and Moon's eyes were still frantically darting around for Night when a large brown tabby bowled them over. "You can't threaten us! We've won our rights to be here!" she hissed in Moon's face, her green eyes blazing as she raised a paw to score her claws across Moon's muzzle. Moon howled with pain, struggling under the large she-cat, slashing ineffectively at her face and pummeling their paws against her belly.

She let out a cry of outrage, digging her claws into Moon's chest. "Stop!" There was more than anger in her meow; it was something like…. _Fear_? In her moment of weakness, Moon pushed her off, scrambling to get up. Now that they were getting a good look at the she-cat, their eyes widened as they realized that her belly was swollen; she looked about ready to burst.

"Why are you in this battle?" Moon asked with a harsh tone, lashing their tail. "Get out of here! Don't risk your kits' lives!" They didn't have time to gauge the she-cat's response, as they were immediately distracted by a lithe cream tabby jumping onto their shoulders and digging in his claws.

Moon hissed and immediately attempted to roll over, but just before her back hit the ground he jumped away from them, racing forward to draw his claws over their stomach. Moon gasped as red swam in front of their eyes, giving one powerful kick to get the tom away from them before crouching down, trying to make themselves look small and unnoticeable, as if that would help their predicament. They didn't know what else to do; what else they _could_ do besides sit there and take it. It didn't take long for the tom to return to them, back on their shoulders and clawing at their sides.

The little white cat was doing their best to ignore the pain, to stay conscious, but the pain from the wound the tom had left on their belly was taking its toll. They felt that they were about to faint from either pain or blood loss when the weight of the tom suddenly lifted from their shoulders.

"Moon! What were you _thinking_? You have to fight back!" A wave of relief washed over them as they heard Night's voice, and they rose to their paws, locking their limbs so they wouldn't fall, to stand beside him. The small tom lay to the side, his neck cut open; Moon shuddered as he gave one last twitch and then lay still. "He could've killed you if I hadn't gotten to you in time!"

"But you did," Moon said numbly, pressing their head against his shoulder to make sure that it was him, that he was okay. They felt him heave a great sigh before saying, "You need to go back to the camp, have that scratch looked at. It looks like Stonewhisker and Dippersong are chasing off the last of them."

"Will you help me?" Moon asked, still feeling like they might black out. Wordlessly, Night pressed his side against theirs, ready to take them back to the camp.

"Did you kill him?" A shocked voice stopped the pair before they could take more than three steps. Faintly, Moon recognized the voice of Lynxstripe. "We don't kill cats here unless we absolutely need to! Do you know how much trouble with those rogues this may cost us? We killed - no, _you_ killed one of their rogue friends, so who knows what they'll try to do to us next now! I thought you'd been learning our code!" Moon guessed that Night had nodded to bring about the she-cat's tirade, and it was only then that they realized that everything about the scene was quickly becoming guesswork. Lynxstripe's voice became farther and farther away as she spoke, and the forest around them was starting to merge into one big blur.

"I- I'm sorry, they were hurting Moon - I didn't remember, I just - I had to save them!" That was definitely Night, the meek sound of his voice, the stuttering tone he took. They'd recognize him anywhere, and it was close to them than Lynxstripe's voice.

"Night," Moon whimpered, leaning on him a bit more heavily than before as their paws started to go numb. "N-Night, I can't -"

* * *

"Wake up, please, Moon, wake up!"

Moon had the sense that it hadn't been long since everything had gone black. The voice was distant in their ringing ears as they briefly came back into consciousness, trying and failing to lift their head, to open their eyes to see who was calling for them. They could feel themselves being pulled into blackness once more. _Night...?_

* * *

"You're a stupid cat, Moon."

"I know," Moon groaned, recognizing the voice of their mother as they tucked their nose under one paw, trying to block out the sound of her condescending voice. It was always tight, like she was constantly holding back any emotion other than snootiness. "Y'tell me enough times 'n a day..." _You're shaming your whole family! You and your brother, acting like you're the High and he's the Low! Play the roles you've been assigned, Moon; it's what you're meant for, and there's nothing you can do about it!_

"Clearly I don't, if you go risking your life like this as soon as there's a small border skirmish." Moon's ear twitched, and they slowly began to realize that that wasn't their mother's voice. It was condescending like hers, but there was also a detectable edge of anger and worry - angry that Moon had made them worry.

"Who...?" They lifted their head, blinking their eyes blearily. "Where am I?"

"You're in the medicine den. I'm not surprised that you're this out of it. You lost a lot of blood. Come on now, open those eyes. Night's been worried sick about you, and I finally had to tell him to get out of the medicine den, but he's come back every day, and I suspect he'll continue to do so until you're better."

"Night?" Moon lifted their head suddenly at the name and immediately regretted it. Splitting pain ran through their whole body, originating mostly from their head and their lower stomach.

"Calm down." A dappled tortoiseshell was sitting beside her, her voice lower than before with those words. She reached down to lick Moon between the ears a few times, making them close their eyes in bliss. The rhythmic lapping of her tongue was slowly but surely driving the pain from their head. "I've had to help you remember a few times, you know," she sighed. "You really are stupid. You keep waking up, having something to drink, and then passing right back out again - what were you thinking, rushing into battle like that? You were clearly unprepared and badly outmatched."

The white cat shook their head slowly. They were still trying to remember her name, when suddenly it came to them. "Seedspots," they said, having a sudden moment of clarity. They could remember the battle, but the last few seconds before the world went dark was drawing a blank. They didn't think they'd missed much, though. However, they could very clearly remember what they'd heard happening in this very den before the events of the battle, and a large part of them wanted to ask about the rest of the conversation that they hadn't heard.

They pushed their urges away to focus on trying to answer Seedspots, knowing that now was not the time to be admitting to eavesdropping. "I wanted to help Night," they recalled. "To make sure he... my brother... I had to make sure he was safe. I had to protect him."

"Does he always end up saving you when you try to protect him?" Seedspots responded drily. "Lynxstripe told me what happened, so there's no need to lie about it."

Moon shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid Seedspots's gaze. "... Yeah, that's usually what happens."

"Well, I hope you're happy," the medicine cat sighed in response. "I don't mean to make bad matters worse, but I'm not going to spare you from the full consequences of your actions. The rogues weren't happy that Night killed their friend. There's been a few fights with them since. You've been out for about three days, more or less. Perhaps two and a half."

"Three days?" Moon yelped, their fur standing on end. "Fights? Has Night been in any more? Is he okay?" They tried to stand up, determined to go check on their brother now. They couldn't seem to make it to their paws, though, their whole body still weak, and their stomach let out a sound that was something like a roar.

"Night is out on patrol right now. He's hunting." Seedspots began to lap between Moon's ears again, once more easing the pain that had come with the effort of trying to stand. "You haven't eaten in a while. I'll go get Sunnystream to get you some prey. I have to go look for more herbs to treat that wound of yours, so don't exert yourself while I'm gone."

Moon nodded without a word, feeling a sort of gloom settle over them. They had come here to help these cats, but they'd become a burden. They watched Seedspots leave, then put their head on their paws, trying to compose themselves for when Sunnystream came through the curtains of lichen. _A burden... Is it always going to be this way, then?_

They didn't have long to think on it, however, as it wasn't too long before Sunnystream was coming into the den with a fat pigeon between her teeth, held by its tail feathers. She dropped it in front of Moon, and the cat was almost sure that she was just going to turn around and leave. They hadn't really talked to her since she took them and Night out on their tour of the territory, and they were almost certain that they'd left a bad taste in her mouth.

Instead of leaving, she moved to curl her large body around Moon's small one, beginning to groom the accumulated dust, moss, and knots from their fur. Moon was confused. Why wasn't she leaving? They had felt certain that they weren't really the best of friends. "Relax," Sunnystream said with a smile as she noticed how Moon tensed. "Eat. I'm not here to hurt you. You've already been hurt enough, wouldn't you say?" Her eyes were sympathetic as she met Moon's gaze, then began to groom them once again.

After a moment, they couldn't resist any longer, relaxing into her warm, soft fur and taking a bite out of the pigeon's chest. Their mouth watered as they took the first bite, not truly realizing the extent of their hunger until then. They almost felt like they were back at their mother's side as a kit, before they'd proved to be unfit for their group.

"You know," Sunnystream said suddenly, "you remind me of a warrior I once knew. His name was Stormwing. He was ridiculously courageous - stupidly so." She smiled forlornly, as if remembering a fond memory that was tainted with the thorns of sadness. "He died saving a litter of kits from a badger. He distracted it just long enough for them to get away. Of course, most of them died in the end... Reedflight was one of those kits, though. She remembers. We've talked about him before." Sunnystream's eyes focused back on Moon, directing a more mischievous gaze their way. When she spoke, her voice matched her eyes, but it held a tone of solemnity as well. "Please don't be Stormwing, Moon. We've seen enough cats die already. Don't do what you know you can't beyond a shadow of a doubt." She butted her head ever-so-gently against Moon's cheek, making a warmness fill their chest at such an affectionate gesture. "Please don't let an opportunity slip by you to embrace death instead. We can be your next opportunity - just don't do something so stupid again, okay?" She flicked Moon's ear with her tail as she sat back, her smile diminished into something more subdued.

"... Okay," Moon agreed, nodding. "I'll try. I'll do my best. No more stunts - from now on, I'll act like you all. I'll act like a warrior."

 _And there we have it! The actual beginning of the story! Now the plot can begin to move along. Don't forget that if you want to see character refs as they're posted, ask characters more questions about their lives before the Great Disaster, and read the story all in one place, you can go to ask-writteninlight on tumblr!_

 _Please don't forget to review if you read; all reviews are greatly appreciated! I love feedback from you guys about the story!_


	4. Chapter 3: Once Upon a Dream

Moon paced the length of the medicine den, from the back wall to the lichen overhanging the den entrance. They felt Seedspots's eyes on them even though she feigned work on her herb stores. They felt restless, as they had for the past few days, but they supposed that it was wont to happen when they had been shut in the medicine den for a week. Seedspots called it a quarter-moon, which they thought was a little funny. _A quarter of me spent in the medicine den._

It might as well have been the truth. Despite visits by their brother and being able to leave the den to go out into the rest of the camp a few days after waking, Moon had basically been cooped up in camp, mostly in the small den. Though Seedspots had made an effort to make them feel useful, asking for their help sorting herbs and remedies, but they felt miserable. They were useless spending so much time in here. Sunnystream told them on one of her own visits that the clan was already getting back on its paws, at least in terms of the prey pile being stocked near-constantly and its warriors regaining strength. Every time Moon asked anyone, though, they'd always dodge their questions about the battles that they knew were having to fight at the border. A few times now, cats had been sent in to be treated for small injuries, some of them looking haunted, like they'd seen ghosts.

Their reverie was broken as they came nose-to-nose with a cat who was pushing their way through the lichen. "Move out of the way!" he barked, amber eyes glaring and hostile. Moon silently dipped their head, moving to the side to let Foxstrike through. He'd come in yesterday with a deep cut on his shoulder, and Seedspots had told him to come back today so she could redress it. They supposed that was what she was doing now.

"Moon, can you fetch me the cobwebs?" Seedspots called, looking up from peeling away the old poultice from Foxstrike's shoulder.

The white cat nodded wordlessly. For the past few days, they'd been very quiet, their mind always working and distracting them from what was going on in front of them. They did as the medicine cat asked, though, padding over to the place where Seedspots kept the cobwebs and wrapping some around their front paw like she'd shown them yesterday. "Here you go," they said with a courteous nod to her as they returned to her side, holding out their paw.

She returned the gesture with a smile, taking the sticky material from Moon's paw and patting it onto the new poultice on Foxstrike's shoulder. "You shouldn't need that changed again. The wound is healing very well."

The tom scoffed and turned away from Seedspots as she finished with the poultice. "Thanks," he huffed. As the cinnamon and white tabby left, he sent a scathing glance at Moon. Moon flinched in return, thinking his glance clearly said, _This is your fault, you know._ They absolutely knew it, and they didn't need anyone else to tell them what they'd done.

"Moon." They were startled as Seedspots rested her tail on their shoulder, and they looked up at her questioningly.

"Yes, Seedspots?" The mottled tortoiseshell usually respected Moon's personal space and stayed in her own little bubble unless Moon's wound needed redressing.

"I'm going to do something special tonight," Seedspots answered. "I'm going to a place where I can speak to our ancestors. It's called the Moonpool, and it rests at the end of the stream that creates our border with WindClan - former WindClan territory. I would like you to come with me, Moon." There was something in her eyes - a knowing expression, encouraging Moon to come along.

But they hesitated. "I've heard some of the warriors talking about the Moonpool," they started, "and isn't that a sacred place to your cats...?" They recalled the conversation between Seedspots and Pipitfeather several days before, remembering how the Moonpool had seemed to have something to do with appointing a new leader. They suddenly put two and two together as they realized that Seedspots must want a sign from those who had passed. In their old group, something similar usually happened. When the leader died, a new leader was appointed by the leader's spirit by leaving a sign relating to the new leader's name name in the last nest that the dead leader had inhabited while the other cats were mourning. Perhaps this was just a more direct method of communication?

Seedspots nodded. "The Moonpool is sacred, yes, but anyone who wishes to go may. What makes it sacred is that we see our ancestors there, and if you don't, it's not like you're breaking the sacredness of the place. It's simply that you have a different belief, and there have been many cats through our history that have. There was one RiverClan medicine cat... She did end up in StarClan, I believe. I think I talked to her once, when I was younger, but she didn't fully believe in our ancestors until her last breaths. In any case, I think that you'll be fine going there. I want you to come, alright? I just need to prove something to myself."

"By having me come along?" Moon gave her a puzzled look, but she only shook her head.

"All things will come in time, I promise." Seedspots gave them a kind look and a flick of their shoulder with her tail. "If you want to come, you should rest up first. I'm going to take a quick nap, and at this point in the day, I'm sure we'll be able to wake in time to begin traveling to the Moonpool."

As she finished speaking, leaving the offer hanging, she padded over to her nest, stretching and kneading the moss into the right shape for a moment. Moon's eyes followed her, but they had a far-away look to them. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; if they could go there, would they be able to see their ancestors? Speak to them directly? Surely they might be able to, if Seedspots could reach her ancestors from there.

They shook out their head, trying to pull themselves back into the present. They opened their jaws to tell Seedspots that they would come, but they saw that her side was already rising and falling in a rhythm of sleep. They settled into their nest, thinking that she would surely wake them when she woke if they were asleep at that time. It took them a while, certainly longer than it had taken Seedspots, especially with thoughts going through their mind at a faster pace than they could really handle. Finally, they could feel the heavy veil of sleep coming over their mind, and in minutes, they were pulled into its gentle embrace.

* * *

"Wake up," Seedspots said softly, shaking Moon's shoulder. The white cat, who had been in a light sleep all along, stirring at every little noise outside, lifted their head.

"Hm?" they asked drowsily. They blinked their eyes open wider, sitting up. "Is it already time?"

"Yes," Seedspots purred. "Follow me." She nodded at Moon and began to pad out of the den, holding her head high. Moon took a moment to stretch and clean their pelt before hurrying after her. All of the eyes in the camp seemed to rest on the two of them as they left, and the little clusters of cats began to murmur to each other. Moon felt their pelt prickle uneasily at the attention, and they were relieved to be out of the camp as they left the tunnel.

The two emerged into the fiery light of dusk, lighting the tree's leaves on fire and straying around each trunk. Moon caught their breath as their eyes rested on each emerald leaf turned a bright orange or gold by the sun, for a moment almost deceived by the trick that the light played as it danced among them. They soon realized that it was only the sun, and they shook their head, continuing after Seedspots, who was waiting patiently some tail-lengths ahead for them by a tree. "What did you see?" she asked nonchalantly as they caught up, as if she wasn't really all that interested, and took the lead again, heading towards the border. Moon could see that she kept glancing back, however.

"I've just been cooped up in camp so long that this sunset is stunning," Moon sighed honestly. Seedspots looked a bit disappointed as she nodded, and when she turned her head frontwards she didn't look back again for some time. Moon didn't seem to notice, breathing in deeply. This was much better than being surrounded by the same scents of the medicine den and the camp.

Seedspots lead them along nearly the same path they'd taken to get to the battle, and Moon flinched as they passed by the clearing. They were doing their best to ignore the scents and sounds of animals in the forest around them as they kept traveling, now parallel to the stream that made the border between the territories, but they were sure that Seedspots could hear their stomach rolling from a mile away. Sure enough, the tortoiseshell stopped and looked back at them, giving them an amused look. "Would you like to hunt, Moon?"

Moon tried not to look embarrassed as they nodded. "Please."

They hurried off as Seedspots gestured them towards the inner part of the territory, still looking amused. "Sorry I forgot to let you eat before," Seedspots said softly as she followed Moon. "I wasn't hungry, and I didn't stop to think about you. It was inconsiderate of me."

"It's okay," Moon said, shaking their head. "I don't mind." They were only half-listening to her, ears swiveling as they tried to catch any trace of prey.

"No," Seedspots sighed, her voice now merely a whisper. "I was just excited for you to see the Moonpool... I haven't been there with anyone else in a while, and..." She trailed off, seeing that Moon was no longer listening. Instead, they were creeping towards a shrub, their eyes fixed on the place where they could hear a small animal scratching at dirt.

It took them only a moment to catch the creature, and as they raised their head they gave Seedspots a questioning look. "Do you want to share?" they asked as they set it down at her paws.

"No thank you," she said politely. "I'm going to go check on a patch of marigold near here, to see how it's been recovering. I'll be right back."

Moon nodded, watching her go before helping themselves to their prey. They were almost done when they felt hairs raise on the back of their neck, like they were being watched. They lifted their head from the mostly-stripped carcass, narrowing their eyes as they turned their head to look around. They couldn't see anything, though.

"Moon, are you ready?" They nearly jumped out of their fur as Seedspots appeared from the brush behind them. Had she been the one whose eyes Moon had felt? Surely not. They nodded and stood, trying not to look entirely spooked. It seemed Seedspots was keen enough to notice the raised fur along their spine and the tenseness in their shoulders, despite how they tried to hide it, because she looked at them more closely, narrowing her eyes. "Are you okay? Do you need to return to camp?"

"I'm fine," Moon insisted, shaking their head. "Come on, let's go!" They trotted forward a ways before realizing that they didn't know exactly where they were going, then slowed down and sheepishly looked back at Seedspots. "Sorry. Got too excited."

Seedspots purred jocularly as she padded past Moon, glancing at them as she went past to take the lead again. Moon could see that she didn't entirely believe them, but they just had to hope that she didn't ask. After all, they didn't know exactly what happened themselves.

As they kept walking, the trees began to thin out, and soon they were walking on stony ground that sloped gently upward. A peaceful look overcame Seedspots, and Moon found their paws slipping into divots in the ground that seemed to be made by years of cats walking this path. They kept going upstream, following the smooth stone path until they were overlooking a hollow, much more shallow than the one the camp was settled in. Moon stopped for a moment at the peak of the path to gaze down at the scene below them. As they had been walking, the sun had set, leaving only the stars and the pale half-circle of the moon above them in the inky sky. It shone down upon the surface of the pool below, which seemed to give off a soft glow, as if it was the moon itself.

"It's a dazzling scene the first time you see it, isn't it?" Seedspots said fondly, looking down from beside Moon as well. "You never really get used it. At least, I don't. Every time I see it I'm reminded that my ancestors have walked here, my mentor and their mentor before them and so on. It's awe-inspiring."

"It is a bit overwhelming," Moon agreed, following Seedspots as she began to walk down to the pool again. Suddenly, they felt eyes on them again. They jerked their head to look behind them, eyes wide. There they saw him. _That's...!_ There was the cream tabby tom, staring at them with pale eyes. He was slightly translucent, Moon noticed after a moment, unable to move for being paralyzed with fear. _That's the tom that attacked me! The one Night killed!_

"Keep moving," he murmured after a moment. He nudged their flank with his shoulder as he slipped by them on the narrow path, and they were surprised to realize that they could feel his fur brushing against their own, a soft chill seeping through their pelt.

As if in a trance, they followed him to the pool of water, joining Seedspots, who seemed concerned, but she didn't say a word besides to tell Moon, "You need to drink the water and then sleep here on the bank." They nodded, crouching down to lap at the clear, icy water. Somehow, they felt as though they knew that it tasted how stars would if they could hunt one out of the sky.

Instantly a drowsiness overcame them. They settled back, curling into a little ball and closing their eyes. They could feel the tom's breath on their ear as he said, "My name was Claw." It was the last thing they heard before sleep overcame them.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when they woke. It beat down on their back, and they had to squint to shield their eyes from it. "Seedspots? Claw?" they called, nub of a tail twitching as they sat up. The day before had been pleasantly warm with a gentle breeze, but this felt like a summer without rain. The air was hot and dry, and the ground scorched their paws. They stood and began to walk, trying to find either of the cats. "Seedspots? Claw! Seedspots, where did you go?"

Neither the spirit nor the living cat could be found. Moon wasn't exactly sure why, since he was the one that had caused their grievous wounds, but they felt as though they could trust Claw. It wasn't as though he could hurt them any longer, after all. Moon kept going despite not being able to find either cat, occasionally dipping their toes in the stream to cool them off. The ground beneath them felt like it would burn the very skin from their paw pads.

As soon as they began to reenter the forested area on the ThunderClan side of the stream, the scorching sun was rapidly replaced by heavy clouds that seemed to come out of nowhere. Their bellies were fat with unshed raindrops, and after only a few pawsteps rain was pelting down on them. _What is going on here?_ Moon thought, on the verge of panic. They began to trot forward, but it seemed that they weren't moving. Not only that, but a cacophony of coughing soon began to fill their ears, immediately followed by thin wails as each cough died off.

Just as suddenly as the hectic nightmare of a walk through the forest started, it ended. Moon was sitting beside a circle of stones in a large clearing, softly lit by the half-moon above, and in the center of the stones there was a pile of something gray. Though they were still feeling panicked, the air was filled with a drowsiness that quickly started to overtake them.

"Woah there. Don't fall asleep, little kit." A sturdy shoulder propped them up as they began to sway.

"Thank you," Moon said gratefully, looking up at the cat that had approached them. It was a silver tabby, his eyes glowing with pride. Their brows furrowed as they felt like they should know him, but they had no idea who he was. "Who are you?"

"My name is Stormwing," he introduced himself, dipping his head. "I am a cat of what was formerly known as RiverClan. You wouldn't know me, of course, but Sunnystream told you about me. I came to talk to you."

"About what?" Moon asked, gazing at him curiously. Of course they had remembered what Sunnystream had said. It had impacted them deeply, and they were going to stick to their promise to her as soon as they were allowed out of the medicine den.

Instead of answering, Stormwing got up and walked closer to the circle of stones. "Watch," he murmured. He raked his claws through the gray pile in the middle of the circles, and it was suddenly alive. Pinpoints of light danced among the gray, twinkling orange and yellow, like a little piece of sky planted on the earth. Moon stepped forward in awe as some of the little lights popped, more springing forth to flutter in the sky for a moment before going out. Some of the lights, like fireflies, hovered a little longer in the air. Moon stepped forward, and Stormwing stepped aside, letting them pass. They put their paw on one of the lights and hissed, immediately drawing it back.

"It burns!" they meowed, looking at Stormwing crossly. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"Sometimes we have to make mistakes on our own to learn, and sometimes we have to learn a little too late," Stormwing said with a sigh, though he smiled bitterly. "I don't regret what I did, but I wish I'd had a chance to be better to my clan. I played the hero when I wasn't meant to." He nodded towards the scars on Moon's belly. "I'm not telling you to stop following your heart - I'm telling you that you need to be more careful when you do. Otherwise a lot of cats will miss you."

After a moment of pause, Moon realized that Stormwing was still watching them. "That's not all, is it?" they asked, dread heavy in their stomach. What else could this spirit have to say to them?

"Not me," Stormwing said, shaking his head. "Her."

As Moon turned to look behind them, their heart swelled for a reason they couldn't describe, and their throat formed a knot that they couldn't speak around. The white she-cat twined around them, her mismatched eyes gazing lovingly at Moon. "Remember what I say," she murmured softly. "Remember these words. Seedspots knows that the next leaders cannot be chosen by StarClan, but they will be proven by time. These next words are only for you for now, little one. Remember. _Do not fear the ones who start the fire, but fear the flames themselves._ Can you remember that?"

Moon nodded, still unable to speak. The she-cat purred. "Good. Be strong, little one. Be safe." She licked Moon's ear, and then she was gone.

* * *

"Did you sleep well?"

It was still nighttime when they woke, though they felt as though the dream had gone on for forever. They looked up at Seedspots, feeling almost as though they were more tired than when they'd first gone to sleep. Seedspots was looking at them expectantly, and when Moon did a quick glance around, Claw was gone.

"I slept fine," Moon lied. They couldn't wrap their mind about what they dreamed of.

Seedspots looked a bit crestfallen. "Are you sure?"

They turned over their dream in their head, then finally confessed, pouring out the details of their strange experience. As they went on, they saw Seedspots's face lighten. When they finished, leaving out the white she-cat entirely, she heaved a sigh of relief. "I knew it. I knew when you started helping me in the medicine den." She gave Moon a delighted look. "Moon, I would like to take you on as my apprentice. I believe that this is why StarClan has sent you to me. You will never have a mate and kits as a medicine cat, but I can promise you that the whole clan will look on you as family. You will be their healer and guide in faith, and you will get to pass on those skills one day yourself. And you don't have the risk of dying in battle."

Moon felt sick as Seedspots kept going. She had become their friend over the past few days, no matter how distant she could sometimes act, but they didn't want this. "Seedspots," they started, hesitant. Her face fell at the very first word, seeing the guilt on Moon's face. "Seedspots, I'm sorry. I don't want to be a medicine cat. I would still love to help you in the medicine den, but I want to be able to defend other cats, and I don't even know if I'm going to be staying in the clan after you all don't need us any more."

"I understand." Seedspots actually seemed very calm as she replied, nodding. Hesitation flickered over her face, and she continued, "I can't force you to do anything that you don't want to, Moon. If you change your mind, you're always free to tell me, but if you want to be a warrior... I'll talk to the others about starting a training program again. They can teach you and Night all of the best aspects of all of our clans, and you can learn to better defend yourself as soon as you are fully healed. How does that sound?"

"Better," Moon said, nodding. They were relieved that Seedspots didn't seem to be too upset.

"Alright. I'll talk to them as soon as we get back," Seedspots said, beginning to lead the way up the slope again. "Then you can make a nest in the apprentices' den with Night, if you'd like. Come on, now, I want to try to reach camp before daybreak." She began to trot, and Moon was hot on her heels, while in their mind they could only wonder, _What could my dream mean?_

 _Next chapter! Not too much to say about this one; more rogue stuff is gonna happen in the next chapter!_


	5. Chapter 4: No One Leader

Walking back to the camp, the two cats were very quiet. Moon felt the stone underneath them give way to grass once again, and then they were back under the shelter of the trees, traveling parallel to the stream, back along the trail from which they came. Right around the time that they reached the clearing where Moon had first felt eyes on them, they caught movement from the corner of their eye.

"Stay quiet." Claw materialized beside of them, matching his pawsteps to theirs. Blood still dripped from the clawmarks on his neck, the ones that had caused his death, and Moon suppressed a shudder. "I don't have much time to talk to you. I was hoping to be able to enter your dreams, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, and it's almost as hard to appear to you like this. I just want to ask you to do something for me, okay? Give my group a chance. I promise that they're just trying to make a home for themselves on the moors. Please, just, try to stop the fighting before anyone else dies."

Moon listened silently, glancing over to Seedspots every now and then. They were astonished that she didn't seem to notice the spirit speaking to them, but then again, she seemed deep in thought over whatever she'd spoken to StarClan about. Could she even see or hear Claw? "Are you even listening to me?" Claw's voice was suddenly snappish, and they glanced over to him and gave a slight nod, trying not to give away how irked they were. "Good," the cream tom sighed, smiling slightly. "Listen. I can't go to a clan cat about this because they all have their heads too full of those starry cats, and I'd... really rather not talk to that tom you hang around. I need you to be the one to bridge the gap for me, alright? The gap between your group and mine."

Moon stared at the form of the tom, incredulous, wondering how they were supposed to do that. They had no time to ask, however, because the spirit's form was quickly dissipating, losing its clarity like ripples on water, and then Claw was gone.

"Seedspots," Moon called out suddenly to the tortoiseshell, who jumped as though she was the one who'd just seen a ghost.

She turned her gaze to Moon, seeming irritated that her thoughts had been interrupted. "What is it?" she asked, tail-tip twitching though her voice was carefully even. Moon held back a flinch, knowing that Seedspots was trying to seem civil before when they were at the Moonpool. They couldn't help but think that she'd be acting much kinder now if they'd accepted her offer of apprenticeship, though, and they didn't think she even realized it herself.

"I'm going... I'm going to go hunting. Bring something back. I promise I'll stay away from the borders and I'll come back to camp as soon as I have a decent catch or get tired, and I won't strain myself." Moon hated to know that the scratch across their belly was keeping them from contributing properly, but they felt well enough now to at least hunt. If Seedspots didn't agree, Moon would hate being cooped up in her den again.

"Fine." The white cat was surprised as Seedspots waved her tail absentmindedly. "Go on. Just make sure you're back before dawn, or that brother of yours will worry me to death."

They ducked their head as thanks and took a separate path, one that would lead further into the territory. As Seedspots's scent and the sounds of her walking faded, their thoughts drifted back to Claw. He was asking a lot of them. Moon was just one cat, and they couldn't possibly change the way the clan cats felt about the rogues, never mind how the rogues felt about the group Moon was staying with. Besides, had they ever done anything without messing it up? Getting them involved was only going to make it worse. They laughed quietly under their breath, pushing those thoughts away. _What does that cat know? I'm great. I can hunt well and I know how to use the herbs Spark taught me. I can count the highest of Spark's kits and I'm good at thinking. Am I good at doing? What am I thinking? Of course I am. I'm a good doer. I put my thoughts to actions and I get it done. But is it without consequences? Look at where that got me - got this_ whole group _last time!_

Taking in a deep, shaky breath, Moon sat down where they stood. Their claws dug into the earth, and they continued to breath, focusing on the motions their chest took. _In, out. In, out. Slow it down. In... out. In... out._ They had to stop worrying. Where was the cat that Night had helped run away from their old group? The cat that would jump headfirst into anything just to prove they could? Where was that confidence?

Anger surged through them as a realization hit them. _Claw took it from me._ The forming scar on their belly seemed to burn as they thought about the battle. _That was it. He took away my confidence, and now he's asking me to do something for him? What do I care about his group?_ Just as quickly as the hot air had filled their sails, they seemed to deflate again. _But it wouldn't just be for them._ Images flashed through their mind as they thought about the last quarter-moon, seeing cats come to and from the medicine den with scratches caused by the rogues they met at the border. _And if I wasn't there, then Claw wouldn't have died, and if he didn't die, then there would still probably be a peace between their group and ours, no matter how uneasy it would be. It's my fault, and I can't blame anyone. I just have to own up to my mistakes._

Overhead, a light breeze danced through the trees, caused leaves to rustle and branches to quake. Moon shivered too, getting back to their paws. With the wind came the scent of the sky and stars, clear and crisp. They could still taste the water of the Moonpool on their tongue, water as sweet as the smell of the breeze. Smiling, Moon lifted their head, looking out for any sign of prey as they carried on, not ignorant to how the air had changed, and not counting on finding anything on a night like tonight. Everything was still and quiet besides the wind in the trees and the leaves crunching beneath Moon's paws.

They tried to imagine that Stormwing was matching their stride on one side while the heterochromatic she-cat was doing the same on the other as they began to make their way back to the camp, in no hurry to arrive to their destination. They knew that the starry cats weren't really there with them, but they still took a moment to imagine. Who was that white cat, they wondered? She hadn't said her name, and Moon wondered if they were supposed to know who she was at all. They couldn't remember any of their campmates saying anything about a white she-cat with mismatched eyes, or a white she-cat in general. Perhaps they should ask once they reached camp again.

The sun began to rise just as their roundabout wandering brought them to the entrance of camp. The warmth that came with the sun chased away the cool crispness that had filled their lungs, and with it the thoughts of StarClan. Familiar scents greeted them as they came into the camp, and they were surprised at how much like home this felt. They'd only been here for about half a month, but these cats - besides ones like Foxstrike - were fairly friendly.

"Moon!" As they emerged from the gorse tunnel, a voice they'd known for years called out to them. They grinned as Night got up from his place beside a white and brown cat to race over to them. "Seedspots got us all up a little while ago. She said something about having a meeting when you got back and told me something about becoming an apprentice. What happened? She told me you went out hunting, but when I got worried she wouldn't let me go out to find you. I thought maybe if you weren't back your scratch was acting up. Are you feeling okay?"

"My scratch is just fine, Night. It's healing quickly. Seedspots is quite the excellent medicine cat, and I can take care of myself without you hovering. So calm down, you big goofy furball." Moon pressed their pelt to their brother's in a calming manner, giving him a stern look. They didn't know if they'd ever admit how much they really appreciated his worrying. Just as they began to stand on their own again, a voice rang out over the hollow.

"All cats that are old enough to catch their own prey, come gather here beneath the Highledge!"

Looking to the source of the voice, Moon saw Seedspots standing high above them on a ledge overlooking the stone hollow. She was looking back at Moon, and their eyes locked for a moment before the tortoiseshell turned her gaze back to the group gathering on the ground below her. "We should join them," Night murmured, nudging Moon before going to sit beside the same brown and white tom he'd come from sitting with earlier.

 _I think his name is... Chestnut-something?_ Moon thought as they went to sit beside their older brother. The two toms were exchanging quiet words between them, smiles on their muzzles, and Mokn felt a twinge of jealousy before immediately feeling bad for it. _His name is Chestnutfoot, I'm pretty sure. I've talked to him before, he's nice. Night couldn't replace me, though. I'm glad Night is making new friends._ They knew they should probably work on doing the same, but they felt like it would be harder for them than it was for him. Who would want to be friends with a cat that couldn't give them anything in return? Their heart lurched uneasily. They had to stop thinking that way. One lost battle didn't mean they were a lost cause.

"Before this meeting goes very far," Seedspots's voice rang out over the hollow, bringing Moon back to the present, "I have good news. We have two new apprentices to be made." Moon's chest swelled with pride as they realized that Seedspots was looking at them with an expression that they would almost consider fondness. Perhaps they were just imagining the briskness before, or in the time they spent apart Seedspots had realized that the whole medicine cat thing was nothing to be too worried over. "Moon and Night have been a part of our group for a half-moon, and after last night, when both Moon and I spoke with our ancestors, I believe that they are ready to become a part of this group. This may feel a bit hastened to some of you, but I know the majority will stand with me," she added as Foxstrike opened his jaws and Lynxstripe and Briarpatch exchanged a look.

"So," Seedspots said, traveling a path that led down from the ledge, "Moon, Night, from this day forward you will be known as Moonpaw and Nightpaw until you earn your warrior names. You were not born of this clan, and you are far beyond the age at which most cats would be apprentices, but from what I have seen and heard from your actions and from StarClan, I believe this is the appropriate course of action. You will learn to live like us and follow our code, and you will be taught to hunt and fight among all of the territories around the lake. Chestnutfoot." She gestured the brown and white warrior forward. "And Nightpaw, both of you." Moonpaw felt a brief flash of dismay as their black-furred brother joined Chestnutfoot and Seedspots, but it was quickly dashed away by pride. He looked a bit bewildered, but there was a pleased look in his eyes as they met Chestnutfoot's. "From this moment on until he has learned our ways, Chestnutfoot, you will be his main mentor. Others may work with him so he can learn the other territories, but it is you, Chestnutfoot, that I trust to teach him your loyalty to our code and your strength of character." Chestnutfoot touched his nose to Nightpaw's, leaving the slightly larger tom blinking in surprise, before gently ushering him to the side.

"Moonpaw, please come forward." Seedspots's eyes scanned the crowd before settling on another cat as the small white cat made their way to the front. "Toadtail," she called, gesturing for him to come forward. "I entrust Moonpaw to you." The name was familiar, and as the brown tom padded forward, Moonpaw had to stop themselves from staring in surprise. They knew Lynxstripe had no tail, but this was a cat who seemed to keep to himself, and they hadn't really spoken to him. His tail was a little stub, just like theirs, and at the thought they had to keep themselves from laughing. Of course Seedspots had made him their mentor.

"Toadtail, I encourage you to pass on your good judgement to Moonpaw, and to teach them your patience. They will also be training in all of the territories along with their brother, but you will be their primary mentor, and I trust you to train them well." Moonpaw was a little more prepared when Toadtail touched his nose to theirs, having seen Chestnutfoot and Nightpaw touch noses a little while before, but the chill of Toadtail's was still a bit surprising.

The newly named apprentice glanced back at Seedspots as they followed Toadtail back into the crowd, taking a seat beside Nightpaw again with their mentor on their other side. By the time they'd reached their place in the crowd, Seedspots was once again atop the ledge, her amber gaze seeming to burn into the cats. Her next words were spoken seriously, her voice kept carefully even. "I know that many of you have been wondering when StarClan would be sending a sign as to who is the next leader." Excited murmuring rippled through the crowd of cats, but Moonpaw could only remember what the white she-cat had told them. They could only hope that the cats around them wouldn't get too excited before Seedspots could continue.

The tortoiseshell lifted her tail for silence, and once the murmuring died down, she continued. "I am afraid that after speaking to StarClan, I can safely say that we will not have a definitive leader."

Ripples of discontent shuddered through the watching cats. "What do you mean we won't have a definitive leader?" Foxstrike was the one to call out, shouldering his way to the front of the crowd to stare defiantly up at Seedspots.

"Without a leader there can only be chaos! What will it be like, Seedspots? Everyone fending for themselves?" Briarpatch added from behind Moonpaw. The pangender cat was a little surprised as they turned to look at the disbelieving, almost offended look on Briarpatch's face. The fawn calico usually got along very splendidly with Seedspots.

Seedspots held up her tail for silence and waited until the cats below had quieted down, though the tension in the air was still thick. "There is no one singular leader among us." Again, an outburst of rancorous protests penetrated the air, and again, Seedspots waited for silence before continuing. Amazing, Moonpaw noticed that she was still keeping her voice steady and unrushed. They had to admire her resolve to stay in charge and keep the cats below calm. "They have given me a prophecy, and given us a mission. StarClan has told me that it is up to us to choose who our leaders are, and that we cannot let the old ways die. We have lived as five for many moons, and we must continue to live as five. What the prophecy is, I cannot say for now. I need time to try to figure out what it means, but I want you all to be assured that StarClan has not forgotten us.

"Now, on the subject of us remaining five." She paused for a moment, as if to let the words sink in. Then she started once more. "StarClan has given me news that perhaps not everyone will be pleased with, but I trust in their judgement. They have told me that in the coming moons, once our strength in body has been fully recovered, we must rebuild our strength in numbers. We will do this most effectively through gathering rogues and loners from the surrounding territories, gaining their trust and interest and convincing them to join us."

"Rogues?" Lynxstripe spat almost immediately. "We've seen what rogues can and will do to get their way! Moonpaw would've been dead if Nightpaw didn't save her!"

Pipitfeather stalked to the front of the crowd to stand beside Foxstrike, who had not left his tensed stance since he first called up to Seedspots. With a shudder, Moonpaw imagined what would happen if these displeased cats decided to turn on her. She was a medicine cat, and from what Moonpaw knew, that didn't involve knowing much about battle, if anything. "We're the last remaining cats of our clans, Seedspots, and what you're suggesting is betrayal of our heritage! The clans need to have pure blood! We should stay within our bounds and let those mangy rogues take what they think is theirs. We'll be strong enough one day to reclaim it all, and even if it's not within our generation, it will be worth it to not mingle and breed with… with those!" Pipitfeather's skinny tail jabbed in Moonpaw's direction as their icy eyes turned to bore into them. Moonpaw couldn't help their lip curling, flexing their claws as their nub of a tail twitched.

"Don't," Nightpaw murmured into their ear, running his tail down their spine. They relaxed slightly though they still glared at the back of Pipitfeather's head as they turned back to sneer at Seedspots again. Sickeningly enough, Foxstrike was watching Pipitfeather with an approving look, with a fiery glance at Seedspots every now and then.

"If you really expect us to breed with rogues and live with them in peace, then you're nothing more than a beetle-brain! Not to mention every loner I've ever met near the Horseplace was nothing more than a lazy fat sack of mange, so they wouldn't be any help either!" they spat. "You don't deserve to be called a medicine cat. You're probably only pretending you've spoken to StarClan so we'll believe you."

Was it Moonpaw's imagination, or did hurt momentarily flicker through Seedspots's eyes? Imagination or not, it was gone in only a moment, replaced by a stone-cold hardness that sent a chill through Moonpaw. No matter how harsh her first impression was, Moonpaw had always been able to sense some mercy in Seedspots, but in that moment, it was like her insides had been hollowed out in front of the crowd to be replaced with a black coldness. "Pipitfeather," she said, her voice chilled as she gazed down at him. Besides her muzzle, only her tail-tip moved as she spoke, twitching in aggravation. "You have no right to speak to me that way, nor do you have the right to speak to a cat who's proven themselves to be loyal to us like you did Moonpaw. I knew not everyone would be happy about this. My response to you is that if you are so angry about this, then perhaps you should strive towards being one of the five leaders that will eventually be singled out. Maybe if you had enough knowledge to run a clan then you wouldn't be so strongly opposed to giving everyone a chance to rebuild the lives that we once knew even better than they were before."

Leaving a shocked silence to ferment in the air, Seedspots hopped down from the ledge and padded towards the crowd. The cats who remained parted silently and respectfully for her. As she passed, Moonpaw caught her eye for a moment, and again they would've sworn that they saw a flash of pain if they weren't so sure it was just their imaginings. As Seedspots reached her den, she turned her head back to the others. "This meeting is over. We'll all gather to talk about this again in a few days when you've had time to think about this in an intelligent manner, those of you who have the capacity to do so," she said, throwing the words over her shoulder before she disappeared behind the lichen that covered the medicine den's entrance.

Moonpaw looked up at Nightpaw as the cats began to break up into groups, murmuring to each other as they went. His eyes were filled with the same worry that Moonpaw imagined theirs were.

"So!" Toadtail said, his faux-cheerful chirp breaking the silence as he popped up between the two of them. He hesitated, glancing between them, then looking to Chestnutfoot, but his smile was soon back on his face. "I think we need a little cool-down time! Who wants to go out into the forest and have a history lesson?"

 _This chapter actually got a lot achieved? I'm especially really proud of the meeting scene? Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and if you did, please, PLEASE take the few minutes it takes to leave a review and do so!_


	6. Chapter 5: RiverClan

The sun was bright on the horizon where it rose, and the air was crisp with the tinge of mid-fall as Moonpaw walked along the shore of the lake. They were on a patrol with three of the original RiverClan cats, which they would not have been if Toadtail wasn't their mentor. They supposed they should be thankful for the weather, though, as today promised to be a clear day after a few days of rain on-and-off, and with their dense fur, they were protected from the worst of the cold. The deciduous trees on the lakeshore had long given way to tall pines and firs, the ones that they had seen when Marshface had led them to the border, and then again when they had been taken there a couple of times to train in the shadows. They were not really fond of the clustered shadows beneath the branches, though, and they were doing their best to stay as far away from them as possible – there was no telling what could be lurking there.

Moonpaw trailed just behind Toadtail, Sunnystream, and Nettleblaze as the three cats led the way to their old territory. They were chattering among themselves like jays as they followed the line of the lakeshore, close enough to let the water brush over their paws as waves rolled in. The smaller cat was putting a good distance between themselves and the lake. Unlike the RiverClan cats, they didn't care to get their paws wet. Nettleblaze and Toadtail almost seemed to forget that Moonpaw was there, but Sunnystream kept glancing over at them like she was trying to get them to come closer. Moonpaw tried to ignore her, since they were taking a break from Toadtail's decidedly overbearing nature, since he sometimes seemed to forget that just because they'd been his apprentice for only a moon that they weren't just a moon old.

The white cat would rather have been in camp, taking a break from other cats for the first time in what felt like years, but since Reedflight couldn't come, Seedspots had insisted they go. What made matters worse was that even despite all of the time Moonpaw seemed to spend training and patrolling in others' company, they barely saw Nightpaw except in the evenings, as he was always completely absorbed in either his training or his mentor. He was more experienced than they were in most things, too, so they were fairly sure that he had been advanced in his training, while Moonpaw was still learning the ropes of fighting and getting the hang of working with others on their daily tasks. Even worse still, matters in camp were still tense even though Seedspots had been trying to share assignment duties with other cats every few days. Foxstrike and Pipitfeather still didn't seem too happy, especially when they were overlooked when it came to be their turn because of how they'd spoken out at the meeting.

"It's too bad that Reedflight couldn't come," Sunnystream suddenly sighed loudly, stopping for a moment and looking out over the lake, making the whole patrol pause. Moonpaw wandered closer to the others, ear flicking back as they stopped behind Nettleblaze. "Seedspots has been fussing over her since she got that scratch on her side in the last battle with the rogues. Reedflight's been yearning to go back to RiverClan ever since we left, though. I feel awful that she couldn't be here."

"It's not like it's your fault," Nettleblaze huffed, turning his gaze back to Moonpaw with a disapproving expression. Their brows furrowed in response. Was he blaming them for Reedflight not being able to be there? He soon confirmed their suspicions as he said, "She wouldn't be hurt if we didn't have to be constantly on our toes for those rogues, and you're not the one who has them out for blood." The ginger tom scowled at Moonpaw, and they jumped as they felt fur brushing their own. Looking to their side, they saw that Toadtail was beside them.

Despite all the time they'd been spending together as mentor and apprentice recently, Moonpaw wasn't comfortable with how close he was standing, and they moved away, taking a few more steps towards the marshy land that they'd been nearing the whole time. They didn't meet his gaze, but they could almost feel his disappointment. "It's not Moonpaw's fault," he said anyway. "They were just worried about their brother. If Nightpaw hadn't stepped in, Moonpaw might've been the one to die."

"Considering how many herbs Seedspots has had to waste and gather on the scratches from fighting these cats, and how much time and energy is lost in the medicine den, I almost think it would've been better if-"

"Nettleblaze!" Sunnystream gasped, cutting across him and giving him a glare. "Don't you finish that sentence. You don't believe that. Besides, we're here to recruit new cats and check on the territory, not to argue about this!" She cuffed his ear gently, sighing and shaking her head. She turned her gaze to Moonpaw, but they weren't paying attention, or at least they were pretending not to. Somewhere between Toadtail defending them and Nettleblaze trying to say everyone would be better off if they were dead, they'd wandered off to sniff at a patch of marigold, pawing at the dirt and growth around it as if they were trying to investigate.

"Nettleblaze mentioned herbs," Moonpaw pointed out as the silence continued for a couple of heartbeats. Their voice was distant but haughty, trying to say without saying, _I know what you said, but I won't justify it with a direct answer._ "I almost forgot that Seedspots asked me to get marigold while I was out. I'll pick it up on the way back, but it's nice to know where they are." They straightened up, trying not to dig their claws into the dirt beneath their paws.

They were aware that Sunnystream was watching them with a worried look on her face, but they pretended like they didn't notice as they padded to a clump of tansy springing up a little way away. For a moment there was an exchange of hushed but aggravated whispers between Nettleblaze and Sunnystream with the occasional louder comment from Toadtail. Then the three straightened up, Sunnystream looking unusually stormy.

"Come on, Moonpaw!" Toadtail called with a strained sort of cheer.

Moonpaw followed after the others with a soft sigh, flicking an ear to ward away some bug that was buzzing too close. They were becoming increasingly aware of the cats like Nettleblaze who didn't want them around, despite the cats like Sunnystream and Toadtail who were always jumping in to defend them. The only reason they didn't just leave at this point was because Nightpaw seemed so happy here, and they could never leave their brother behind.

As they kept going, they emerged on a wide patch of dirt which was far too open for Moonpaw's taste. They felt that they had to say something, and came up beside Sunnystream, staying silent for a moment before asking, "Are you sure that this isn't too open? I mean, a hawk could swoop down at any second and snatch one of us up. It's really open – no trees or underbrush or anything."

"It's fine," Sunnystream reassured Moonpaw, giving them a friendly smile as her whole disposition seemed to change, brightening once more from the overcast mood that the others had brought on. "This is usually where Twolegs come in greenleaf, but since it's leaf-fall, I don't think we'll be seeing much of them. Since this is their place, not many animals come through here unless they're really stupid. If anything does come, we can fight it off together. If we can't fight it off, then we're close enough to the territory that we know that we'd be able to run over there and find a place to hide. I'll protect you whatever happens, though," she added, her smile growing even warmer as she gently nudged them.

"Th… thanks." They'd never really had someone this willing to be kind to them except for Night. It was really odd to them that this cat would care so much, but then again, they reasoned, she seemed to care for everything.

They finally reached the end of the odd dirt plain that separated the shadowy territory from the marsh. The ground grew wetter underpaw as soon as they stepped off into the marsh, which wasn't altogether unpleasant. It was much softer ground than the pebbly beach and hard-packed dirt they'd left behind, and as Moonpaw looked to the side they realized they'd gone inland as they were traveling over the dirt. The pebbled shore was still there by the lake in this part of the forest, too, but now they were farther away.

"It's nice to finally be home again," they heard Toadtail sigh.

"It's definitely different than ThunderClan, that's for sure," Nettleblaze mumbled, barely audible. Moonpaw had to agree. Without the cover of the leaves, the fall chill in the air had lessened as the sun shone down on them, warming their pelts. They couldn't imagine that it was very pleasant in summer, though – the lack of shade would probably be likely to drive anyone mad with the heat. They did take the time to notice a few clusters of trees here and there, but the others didn't seem to stop to pay any attention to them, which seemed to signify that they knew that whatever they would be looking for wasn't there.

"I wish this were just another border patrol. I wish we could go home and find Sorrelstar and Brightfeather just waiting on us to tell them how the border seemed fine, and how ShadowClan wasn't giving us any trouble, as usual," Toadtail said suddenly, his voice as distant as the look in his eyes.

"That Honeywhisker and Mallowfern would be there to greet us," Nettleblaze added, glancing at Sunnystream, "and that Scorchdawn was there to tell us how much prey she caught on her first hunt of the day."

"And how she tripped and fell in a thorn bush, like usual," Sunnystream added, her tone melancholy despite how silly the words were on the surface. Moonpaw had a feeling that the other three had forgotten their presence by now as they reminisced on whatever was lost, and they felt as though they were an unwelcome spectator in a very intimate moment, someone who was here in place of one of the guests that had actually been invited. "She would've talked about how she had just gone to see Silverfur about the thorns and then mooned over him like he was the greatest thing since StarClan, like she always did. And Salmonstripe and Fernpelt would be in the elders' den, gossiping like they always did, while – while…." She seemed unable to go on, but Nettleblaze took up the torch for her.

"Minnowfin would be waiting for you," he offered gently. "He would've saved your favorite fish for you and told you how beautiful you looked, and did you do something new with your fur, or is it that the sun is hitting your eyes differently today? And Streampelt, Breezetail, and Stoneclaw would be bickering like their argument was the most important matter they'd ever discussed, and Russetcloud and Troutsplash would be mooning over each other like apprentices like usual, while the actual apprentices were out training, and the kits would play outside the nursery while the queens looked on, basking in the sun…. It's really a pretty day, so they wouldn't waste it."

"Blackwillow would still be there, with their kits," Toadtail said quietly. "And my mother. They'd both be fine instead of hungry and then sick and then –" He stopped.

"Dead." Sunnystream finished Toadtail's sentence for him after a pause, like she was the only one willing to, and even then she was immediately choked up. It seemed that all three were overcome with too much grief to continue talking, and silence fell once again. Moonpaw couldn't shake the feeling that everything they'd heard wasn't theirs to hear, though, so they tried to put it all out of their mind, all the names and scenarios that each of them had said with a reverential tone in their voice.

They suddenly came to a stream which nearly qualified as a river in its own right, and Moonpaw was about to interrupt the other to ask how they were supposed to cross the stream when Nettleblaze let out a sudden yelp, completely ruining the somber mood that had overcome them all.

"What in StarClan's name –!"

At the tom's outburst they looked ahead to see that a thick-furred blue cat was pulling herself out of the stream in a graceful manner. Moonpaw bristled immediately, going into a defensive stance at her appearance, eyes darting around the for any signs of other cats that might be preparing to attack with her. If there were any, they didn't see or scent them. The others weren't relaxing, though, and neither did Moonpaw. After all they'd been through, they weren't quite ready to trust the other rogues they met right away.

It was a surprise for all of them when the she-cat gave a cheerful greeting in response to their battle stances. "Hello!" Shaking clumps of fur from her eyes, she gave them a big grin. For a moment Moonpaw, still on edge, thought it might be a snarl. "My name's Ocean. I saw you all coming when you stopped to look at the lake. It's very pretty, so I know how you all must feel! The water is so clear and nice most days. Say, I haven't seen you all around here before, so I know you all must be new! Where are you all from? Do you travel? Have you seen the ocean? Not me, of course, but the one I was named after. Maybe not that exact one. I've heard from my grandmam that there's more than one. But have you all seen it? It's such a vast expanse of water that it swallows the sun whole and you can never see its end!"

The water droplets cascading down her pelt didn't seem to bother her as much as it did Moonpaw just by looking at it. They would hate for their fur to get that wet, and wondered how she stood it. They could feel the other three cats in the patrol glancing at them after exchanging looks with each other, but they didn't take their eyes off of Ocean. Absentmindedly they noted her questions, and they commented, "I've seen an ocean once."

"You have?" Ocean gasped immediately, her whole face lighting up. "Oh, you should come meet my grandmam, then! She's so nice, I'm sure you'll love her! I haven't traveled as much as she has, see, but I still don't like to be in one place for long, but we're settling down here for a little while because grandmam wanted to be here for her death. She's dying, you see, she can feel it in her bones. I'm going to miss her, but I still have Queenie and Berry and River and Mouse. Oh! Queenie is my mate and Berry is her brother and Mouse is my brother. We're one big family together! We protect my grandmam because she raised us like we were hers because my mam – "

"I think that's enough of your life story," Nettleblaze cut across her, which Moonpaw was a little grateful for. They had no idea how she could talk so fast and say so much at once, but it all came out in a confusing jumble, though they pieced together that their grandmother was dying and they were there with her family to see her off, or something like that. Toadtail seemed relieved, too, despite showing a polite interest, but Sunnystream looked almost disappointed, and Moonpaw smiled a little at how like her it was to be genuinely interested in what Ocean had to say. "Where are you staying?"

"There's this little island," Ocean started, "in the middle of a river leading through the marsh. It's small, but spacious enough for all of the cats that stay there now and more. Besides me and Grandmam and the others, a couple more moved in after. Ollie and Jackie and Darwin. They're cool. We don't really talk to them much besides at night, when we're all settling down to sleep, but sometimes we share prey if one of us doesn't have enough." Ocean took the lead as she trotted farther into the territory, splashing into the stream to get across. "Queenie should be nearby! We went hunting together and then split up."

Moonpaw made a face as they followed Ocean, trying not to shiver as the cool water swept over their legs and made their belly fur wet. At one point the water got so deep that Moonpaw had to paddle until their paws hit rock again, the whole time holding their head above the water and gasping for breath as Toadtail tried to help them stay afloat. They waded out as quickly as they could when they reached the other side, hopping up onto the bank and shaking out their fur. They'd been in water before, but it had never been their favorite thing, and it was chilly with the autumn breeze sweeping across the terrain. They really wanted to stop and dry off, but everyone else was pulling ahead as Ocean confidently led the way, while the rest of them exchanged puzzled looks. Moonpaw could understand; they weren't sure of what to make of this cat, either. She could easily be leading them into some sort of trap.

Everything seemed pretty quiet until they made their way into a copse of tall reeds, where a blur of color suddenly toppled their guide to the ground. Once again, the group of cats bristled defensively, but began to relax with confused expressions as they heard giggles coming from the heap of fur on the ground.

"Who is this?" Nettleblaze was the first to ask, observing both of them suspiciously as they got to their paws. The other cat was a long-furred calico with pretty green eyes, which went over each cat as if assessing them.

"I'm Queenie," she introduced herself after a moment. "What are you all doing, following my mate around?" There was a bit of a possessive note in her voice, and Moonpaw took notice to the way she shifted slightly to hold herself in front of Ocean protectively.

Ocean bumped her head against Queenie's shoulder gently before moving to stand beside the others, her eyes bright. "It's okay, Queenie! I don't think they're going to hurt us. This is – um, that is to say, they are – what are your names again?"

"You don't even know their names?" Queenie said in a high pitch, looking upset as her tail lashed this way and that.

"It's okay!" Ocean repeated, looking expectantly at Sunnystream.

Sunnystream laughed in response to her look, apparently coming to the same conclusion that Moonpaw had. Ocean had caught on to the fact that Sunnystream was the kindest of the group, meaning that she wasn't totally oblivious to how the cats accompanying her were acting. "I'm Sunnystream," she introduced herself, "and this is my brother, Nettleblaze, our friend, Toadtail, and his apprentice and our other friend, Moonpaw."

"What strange names," Queenie murmured, looking over them each in turn once more. Finally, she seemed to assess that no harm would be done. "You've picked up some odd friends," she commented to Ocean, her voice soft and teasing. "I hope you picked up some prey while you were at it."

"Oh, shoot!" Ocean's head shot up at Queenie's remark, suddenly looking cross. "I put my prey back in the ferns by the stream! Can you direct them to the island while I go get it?"

"I have prey to get too," Queenie said with a shrug. "We can go together to get yours, if you like, then come back this way to get mine. It's not far from here."

"Actually, we can find the island on our own," Nettleblaze said quickly, looking a bit annoyed. "It was our home before it was yours. I think we know where it is."

"Thank you, though," Sunnystream added quickly as Queenie opened her mouth to retort, eyes blazing. "It's just, we wouldn't want to inconvenience you or anything. You can go get your prey, and we'll go ahead to the island. We'll see you there, if that sounds okay."

The calico looked over at Ocean for a moment, and the two of them seemed to have a short conversation without words before Ocean finally said, "I don't think it will be any trouble. You all seem nice enough! I don't think you'd hurt anybody." Her eyes trailed over each of them, then rested on Moonpaw, grimacing slightly at their scars. "Anybody who didn't hurt you first. But we wouldn't. Mouse and Berry and Grandmam wouldn't. You should be fine." She gave them another of her blindingly-bright optimistic smiles before darting off towards the ferns, leaving them alone with Queenie.

The wary she-cat gave them once more once-over, then shook her head. "We'll be right behind you. If you hurt any of them, we'll know, but they're plenty capable of fighting too, in case you were wondering." She then turned, disappearing between the reeds, leaving the stalks swaying slightly in her wake.

"That was odd," Moonpaw mumbled. "I guess they've encountered some of the other rogues before. The ones that aren't so nice."

"Probably." Toadtail looked down at his apprentice with a short nod. "We're here on a mission of peace, though, so I'd say we're probably the nicest rogues they've met so far."

"We're not ro –" Nettleblaze stopped himself. "Never mind. As disorganized as we are right now, we might as well all be sharing a camp with that beetlebrain who hurt you." Moonpaw was a little shocked as he gestured towards them, giving them a grim look. They'd never once experienced Nettleblaze giving them an ounce of sympathy, and never expected him to after his earlier words, but here he was practically saying that it wasn't their fault. When he glanced at his sister afterward they felt a little less shocked, as Moonpaw couldn't help but feel it was some sort of appeasement for her.

Sunnystream took up the lead now, setting a quick pace as they headed through the patch of reeds. "Let's go, then!" she laughed softly. "It may not be the homecoming we all want, but we are going home, and there are still apparently cats waiting for us!" It warmed Moonpaw's heart to see her acting so happy, but they though it was likely at least partially an act to put Nettleblaze and Toadtail into better spirits.

"Moonpaw, be careful," Toadtail suddenly warned from ahead. "There's a river here. If you want, I'll lead you to the shallowest area to cross, but be sure not to fall in. The river comes at you very suddenly at the end of this stretch of reeds."

"Aw, I was looking forward to seeing them fall in!" Nettleblaze's joke carried through the reeds before they heard a hiss of his name from Sunnystream, then an abrupt splash. They emerged from the reeds just in time to see Nettleblaze sputtering as his head bobbed up out of the water. He grinned at Sunnystream, the expression an unusual sight on his face, and cried, "You're in for it now!" He lunged forward surprisingly fast for a cat in water, grabbing onto his sister's paw and dragging her into the water.

Sunnystream gave a shrill screech as she was tugged under, but as she was laughing as her head broke the surface. "You're such a foxheart, Nettleblaze! You've betrayed your own sister!"

Looking to the side as they continued to banter on playfully, Moonpaw noticed the longing look on Toadtail's face, like he wanted to join them. They heaved a big sigh, knowing that as long as they wanted to go through the shallows he would go with them. They didn't want him to miss out on this fun, though, so they resigned themselves to what they were about to do, telling themselves that it didn't matter much because their pelt was still wet anyways. Then they jumped into the river just between Sunnystream and Nettleblaze, splashing water over both of them.

They quickly surfaced with a few strong kicks, but they gasped for breath as they did, all of it having been knocked from them by the sudden chill and pressure of the water. They hadn't been swimming for a long while, but their old skills were coming back to them as they hovered in the water by Sunnystream, who was looking at Moonpaw in a shocked way, and Nettleblaze, who was howling with laughter.

"Toadtail, it looks like your apprentice is more of a natural RiverClanner than they showed in that stream! Come on, we'll all just swim across!" Nettleblaze managed to get out around his laughter, his hazel eyes shining with glee. He began to swim to the other side, but Sunnystream and Moonpaw waited for Toadtail, who slid into the water with a contented sigh.

"It's been a while since I've been in this river," he mumbled, beginning to follow Nettleblaze, Sunnystream taking up a place beside him with a few strokes of her paws.

They were all chattering quietly in a group again as Moonpaw heaved themselves out of the river behind them, joining them on the bank. "So, where is everyone even supposed to be on this island?" Moonpaw asked, shaking their head to get rid of the water that had trickled into their ears before settling down to dry off their fur. As far as they could tell, the island was just covered in more reeds and soft, springy soil.

"This isn't the camp," Nettleblaze said good-naturedly, though something in his tone suggested that he was amused by Moonpaw thinking that it was. The thought was still a little insulting, even though he was actually acting civilly now for reasons that they couldn't quite understand. "We don't just settle on the banks and wait for all of our kits to wander right into the water as soon as they take their first steps. The other clans might've called us fish, but we couldn't swim that well so young!"

"Stop teasing them, Nettleblaze," Sunnystream said lightly, rolling her eyes. To Moonpaw she added, "Just follow me. Our camp is in the middle of the island. It's shielded by all of these reeds, which is a good thing, because otherwise anyone could just watch our camp anytime they liked when we lived here!" She nodded matter-of-factly before pushing her way through the reeds, Moonpaw tagging close behind.

It was only a couple of heart-beats before they emerged into a clearing. For a moment things were peaceful, then a loud cry bit into Moonpaw's ears. "AAAAAAAAAAA!" Two cats sprung out from the reeds nearby, the larger of them, a calico tom, pinning Moonpaw almost immediately, while the other, a gray marbled tabby tom, jumped on Sunnystream, churning his paws wildly against her back.

Nettleblaze rushed out of the stalks to quickly bat the little tom away, though he was careful not to hurt him. He held the tom down as Sunnystream got to her paws, shaking out her fur and looking a little dazed.

"Berry? Mouse?" A creaky voice sounded from a nearby thicket of interwoven reeds, and a blue-gray tabby she-cat, muzzle silver with age, poked her head out from the den. Her eyes widened, and her muzzle curled into a fond smile as she gazed Toadtail, who had stopped just outside of the reeds surrounding the camp. "Berry, let go of that cat. And you, I would really appreciate it if you would let Mouse up." She gave a stern gesture to Nettleblaze, then turned once more to Toadtail as Moonpaw and Mouse were both let up.

"Toadtail," she purred warmly, leaving all of the other cats confused. She padded forward, staring searchingly into his face before rubbing her cheek against his. "I'm so sorry. When I came back here, this…. This was not what I expected to find."

"Dustcloud?" Toadtail said after a moment, his eyes searching her face as his brows drew up, knitted in a confused expression. "Is that really you? I haven't seen you since just after I became a warrior, when you…."

"I was that one older warrior who decided to run off with a SkyClan tom she barely knew." Dustcloud's face twisted into a wry smile. "Yes, that's me. We ended up okay, but he died a long time ago. I wanted to come back here because… well…."

"Ocean told us," Sunnystream offered kindly, stepping forward and seeming oblivious to the fact that she was interrupting a moment between old Clanmates. "You're an elder now, and you wanted to come back here to be able to see your clan one last time and tell cats that you loved them if they were still around. But… a lot of us are gone."

"Your sister's granddaughter!" Toadtail said suddenly. "Reedflight! She's alive. We're all staying in ThunderClan camp, since that's where the last medicine cat was. The sickness and drought and storms that caused all of this are over, but we're very few in number, Dustcloud. It's awful, what happened, and honestly I'm glad…. I'm very glad that you didn't want to stay. Otherwise we'd have lost you too." He smiled weakly, before turning to Nettleblaze as he cleared his throat. "Ah, yes! This is Nettleblaze and Sunnystream. They're both RiverClan cats, Mallowfern and Honeywhisker's kits. And this is Moonpaw, my apprentice."

Dustcloud squinted at Moonpaw, then snorted softly. "Looks too old to be an apprentice to me!"

"I'm eight seasons old, nearly nine," Moonpaw quickly said. "I wasn't born in the clans, so that's why I'm an apprentice now. I'm pangender and prefer to be called they instead of he or she, by the way." They always liked to get that part out of the way first. Talking about their gender for too long often became uncomfortable for them, and they were grateful when Dustcloud nodded.

"I see. Well, it's nice to see that you're all trying to make things better again, at least…. That is what you're doing, aren't you?"

"We're trying," Toadtail reassured her, nodding quickly.

"Good." Dustcloud moved back over to the den and plopped down by the entrance, looking content.

"Sorry for attacking you," Mouse piped up sheepishly in the silence that followed, ears laying back against his head.

"It's okay," Sunnystream reassured him. "We were strangers. You had no idea who we were and we just wandered right to the island, and we were being so loud that it would've been hard not to spot us from across the lake."

"Besides, it's not like you really hurt anybody," Moonpaw offered. "I don't think we're hurt, anyway." They glanced at Berry, who was observing them all with an intrigued expression, so different from how he'd been moments ago when he was pinning them down.

"Where did you all say you were staying?" he asked, flicking his tail languidly back and forth.

"We're across the lake right now," Toadtail explained, gesturing towards the general area with a tilt of his head. "We plan to move back here as soon as we've gathered enough cats to start rebuilding our clans, but for now, we're all staying there to make sure we all stay safe. Speaking of which, Dustcloud…?"

"Hm?" The gray tabby lifted her head, having been dozing off, and blinked slowly at Toadtail. "What is it?"

He shuffled his paws, trying to gather his thoughts before saying, "I was wondering if you and your friends would want to come back to our camp. We can offer you food, shelter, and companionship, and–"

Dustcloud held up her tail to keep him from going further. "Let me stop you, Toadtail. If you know that I came here to spend the rest of my days in my old home, why would I go back to ThunderClan with you? That wasn't the place where I was born and raised, from kit to apprentice to warrior. No. I'm going to stay here until I've joined my Tawnyear in StarClan, and my kits will lay my body to rest just where I showed them to, beside the bodies of my clanmates and our ancestors. I appreciate the offer, but as long as I'm alive and kickin', I know they won't be going anywhere, either. I'll send them to you when I've died, though, and between now and then, we'll always be here to lend you help if you need it. I hope you can understand."

Toadtail hesitated before nodding. "Of course."

He lifted his head sharply as the reeds on one side of the camp rustled, and another group of cats filed in. Ocean and Queenie were leading three other cats through the stalks, carrying their catches in their jaws. They each set their share down in the middle of the open area before joining the others.

"What's going on?" Queenie's tail flicked agitatedly, sending a glance to Dustcloud. "They're not bothering you, are they?"

"No, no, dear. They're friends," Dustcloud chuckled. "Don't get your fur in a knot! I promise it's alright. You all, this is my granddaughter, Ocean, and her mate, Queenie, and our new campmates, Darwin, Jackie, and Ollie."

"Did I hear you say something about going somewhere new?" One of the new cats spoke, a pretty lilac tabby with orange eyes that were alight with curiosity. One of the other cats nudged her shoulder, giving her a sharp look, but she continued, "Jackie likes it here, but me and Darwin have been wanting to explore for ages. Can we come with you?"

"Were you all listening in our conversation?" Moonpaw almost jumped as Berry spoke to make the suspicious remark, having been quiet until then.

"No!" Ollie quickly said, shaking her head. "No, no, not at all – we just kind of happened to hear the last part while we were going through the river! So, what do you say?" She addressed this to the new cats with a wide-eyed look. "Can we go with you? Or at least me? I know I'm not exactly five big and strong cats all on my own, but I can be useful!"

"We need all the help we can get," Moonpaw offered, surprised at themselves when they began to realize that they were beginning to take a bit of initiative in the conversation. Maybe it had something to do with feeling a little more connected to the RiverClan cats after their conversations on the way here. "If you want to come, you'll be welcome."

"Every cat counts," Sunnystream added as her eyes roamed hopefully over the others.

"Sorry, but we're staying with my grandmam!" Mouse said, surprisingly firm for the skittish cat that Moonpaw had taken them as. The whole time they'd been talking, the little tom had been hunched over, but now he was standing up straight and fixing them all with a determined stare. "She needs us." Then again, he had been the one to tackle Sunnystream, who was the bigger cat of her and Moonpaw.

"I'll come." Another of the three new cats stepped forward, a golden tabby with dark spots, giving them each a short, respectful dip of the head. "I'm Darwin. Ollie and Jackie and I have been traveling together for a while, but I think if Jackie wants to stay here then it's time for us to split up." He took a peek at the last remaining cat, a pale ginger she-cat with a darker face, paws, and tail, who was bristled up and looked absolutely dismayed.

But she said nothing, even when Nettleblaze stepped forward to say, "Okay, this trip hasn't been a total waste, but the sun is starting to go down now. It's nice to know the camp will be in safe paws while we're gone, but we really have to get going if we want to get back to camp before nightfall. Otherwise we'll have this one's brother sending patrols out to retrieve us that includes every cat we have left." He raised one brow at Moonpaw, and they huffed as they looked away.

"No one's stopping you," Dustcloud mumbled, stretching and disappearing into the den. "You all take care!" she called from inside. Looking back at them once more, Ocean grabbed a piece of prey then darted inside the den with her mother, followed by Berry and Mouse. Queenie remained outside for a moment longer, then shook her head and darted in.

Jackie, Darwin, and Ollie's goodbyes went by fairly quickly, Jackie very quickly dismissing them before going inside with the others. She had looked painfully awkward all the while, and Moonpaw felt a little sorry for her, being left alone with other cats that were basically strangers. Then again, they could sympathize.

It didn't take long for their patrol to be back on the road towards ThunderClan, Ollie and Darwin in tow. All the way back they stayed near the shore while the three clanmates told them how their lives would be in the group. Moonpaw even threw in a few of their own comments every now and then, giving them a glimpse of their perspective as someone who had begun to go through some of the changes they would. They both took it all in with a kit-like enthusiasm.

When they finally reached camp, it was already well past nightfall, and knowing they'd be late anyway, they'd stopped to hunt once reaching the forest and the part of the shore that bordered it. They came back with a good catch and slipped into camp.

Moonpaw was surprised to be greeted by a camp that was very much awake. Every head seemed to turn towards the patrol as they came back, and a hush fell over the clearing. Moonpaw noticed Stonewhisker pacing by the medicine den, seeming not to notice the others come in. They were confused – what was with the looks on everyone's faces?

Finally, Marshface spoke out. "Pipitfeather picked a fight with the rogues today on a patrol." He fell silent for a moment, letting the words sink in. As Moonpaw looked around the clearing once more, they could see that Foxstrike was glaring at them as though it was their fault. "If the first fight didn't mean anything, this one did."

"They almost killed him!" Briarpatch said impatiently, cutting a sideways glance at Marshface. "He's not dead. Not yet. But if he isn't close to it then I'll eat my own ears. Lucky for him Seedspots is a good medicine cat. She says that he'll take some time to heal, but…." She grimaced, looking away.

There was another short silence until Foxstrike stood, stepping forward with a challenging glint in his eyes.

"We've already agreed that we're going to work on a plan to start attacking the rogues. We can't let them push us around anymore!"

 _okay so the part where theyre going back to camp seems rushed but i promise nothing important happened so i was like FUCK IT lets do this. anyway this is the longest chapter yet and boy i'm actually really proud of it. anyway here you guys go after 10000 years_


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